For the second year in a row, Denny Hamlin saw his NASCAR Cup Series title hopes dashed by Kyle Larson, and it seemed like there was nothing the Joe Gibbs Racing driver could do to get the elusive first championship in his 22nd Cup season. However, the 2025 loss was much more agonizing than this season because Hamlin was just three laps away from a title win back then before a strategy fumble in overtime handed Larson the title. Now, a year later, Kenny Wallace has defended Larson against those who claim that his 2025 triumph was ‘lucky’.

“Last year, Kyle Larson won the championship in a complete different format. Did he get lucky? Hell no,” said Wallace on his YouTube channel on Monday. “His crew chief said two tires, so he took two tires. Denny Hamlin’s crew chief said four tires. Denny Hamlin took four tires. And that is the difference between Kyle Larson winning the championship last year and Denny Hamlin not.”

The 2025 championship finale at Phoenix saw Hamlin lose to Larson in spectacular fashion after leading 208 of 312 scheduled laps and looking like the certain favorite. A late-race caution with three laps remaining and the resulting pit cycle caused Larson to gain track position on Hamlin, and the rest was history.

It was during the pit cycle that a two-tire stop for Larson worked out over Hamlin’s four, and this split-second decision-making is what Wallace puts the eventual title down to.

Wallace also compared Larson’s crew chief, Cliff Daniels, to a certain figure at Hendrick Motorsports whose NASCAR dominance cannot be understated.

“Two crew chiefs thinking completely differently is what won Kyle Larson the championship last year at Phoenix. This year, a complete different format, and the same damn driver won. Kyle Larson and that team, they are the new Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson,” added Wallace, heaping praise on Larson and his team.

Chad Knaus, who is now the vice president of competition at Hendrick, once dominated the garage paired with none other than Jimmie Johnson. The famed era when the driver-crew chief pairing went on a streak of championships, eventually to bag seven in total, is still remembered as one of NASCAR’s greatest partnerships.

Starting in 2006, the Knaus-Johnson pairing saw the No. 48 driver clinch five back-to-back Cup titles. The duo also racked up 81 wins together.

With Kyle Larson clinching his second title in a row this year and third overall, Kenny Wallace argues the No. 5 team could be on the path to something similar.

“They’re already on a heater. It is already a dynasty. You can go there all you want. Oh, can they win four or five? They’re going to. In a row? Like Jimmie Johnson? I don’t know, but there’s a lot to look forward to,” he added in the same video.

With the Chase format rewarding consistency from drivers more than ever, a consistent postseason saw Larson clinch the trophy in the first stage of the finale itself, despite having zero wins during the regular season. In contrast, Denny Hamlin had five wins (including the All-Star Race) in the regular season, but finished in the Top 5 only twice in the Chase.

Whether or not the No. 5 HMS crew goes on to achieve greatness on the level of Chad Knaus and Jimmie Johnson, Larson’s third Cup title puts him in some impressive company. He joins the likes of Joey Logano and Tony Stewart as three-time champions.

At 34, the road ahead for Larson looks more promising than ever.